Step by Step 3000 第3册 Unit2:News Report(2)

B. Keywords.

water shortage, global solutions, water resources, overuse.
Vocabulary.

catastrophic, scarcity, obligation, potable, sanitary, World Meteorological Organization.
Listen to the second news report, complete the news summary and then briefly answer the questions you hear.
The UN water experts are warning that a severe water shortage will have what they called catastrophic consequences in some developing nations unless global solutions are found soon.
150 experts around the world will discuss the water situation at a conference beginning Monday in Geneva.
A top official from the World Meteorological Organization Arthur Askew says that by the year 2025, almost 1 billion people could be living in areas suffering from a scarcity of water.
He says the number could double by the middle of the next century.
Mr Askew says one area with serious water problem is the Middle East, but he says officials in the area are already working on ways to deal with the situation.
Experts say the water shortage problems also could develop in parts of Africa and Western Asia, as well as northeastern China, western and southern India, large parts of Pakistan and Mexico and parts of the Pacific coast of the United Sates and South America.
Mr Askew says there is a moral obligation to treat water as a precious resource and a need to realize that large amounts of water are used often wastefully in food production and manufacturing.
All commodities have used water in their production.
And you must be aware therefore that if you're importing food from one country to another, you're in fact importing part of the water resources of that country.
Mr Askew also says water shortages lead to a conflict between rural and urban demands.
In many regions of the world, the water crisis is not coming because of human consumption directly for potable water, for drinking, or for sanitary purposes, it is coming from agriculture.
And in general, about 80% of the water which is consumed, i.e, is extracted from the rivers or from underground resources and is not returned, is for agriculture.
And there is considerable pressure now on the agricultural sectors to see if they cannot use that water more efficiently.
Mr askew says it's estimated that a person needs about 5 liters of water a day to survive, and a person lives comfortably with about 50 liters a day.
But he says people in many countries are using 500 liters of water each day.
He says ways must be found to reduce such overuse before it's too late.
Questions. 1. How many experts will attend the conference in Geneva?
2. When will the conference begin?
3. What will the situation be like in the year 2025 according to Arthur Askew?
4. In which areas could water shortage problems most probably develop?
5. What is the moral obligation put forth by Arthur Askew?
6. How much water does a person need a day to survive?
7. How much water does a person need a day to live comfortably?
8. How much water are people in many countries now using each day?